Kangamiut visit to Pangnirtung Fisheries

Last week, Thomas, Nicholai, Anne and Rasmus visited the Canadian Inuit community Pangnirtung, 45 km south of the Polar Circle.

Pangnirtung Fisheries is an Inuit commercial fishing enterprise developed 40 years ago to support their fisheries of wild Arctic Turbot and Char. Today their halibut (or turbot as it is called in Canada) is marketed by North Atlantic Seafood who in return has provided a loan to Pangnirtung Fisheries to invest in a barge system. Until the barge system was introduced, the seafood products could only be transported out of Pangnirtung by plane, so the loan from NAS allows shipping by boat in the summer when the fjord is ice free, significantly reducing both the freight costs and the carbon footprint of these beautiful seafood products.

Connecting fishermen across the Davis Strait

30 years ago a visit from Greenlandic 'cousins' laid the foundation for the halibut fisheries in Pangnirtung. Hence the excitement was great when we brought our friends from Halibut Greenland to Pangnirtung to facilitate exchange of experience between the two companies.

The picture shows Erik Sivertsen, CEO of Halibut Greenland, presenting to the board of Pangnirtung Fisheries.

The Pangnirtung Fisheries / North Atlantic Seafood / Halibut Greenland collaboration is facilitated by an old time friend of Northcoast Seafoods, Icelandic Jon Johannsson who has been working actively with Pangnirtung Fisheries for a few years to develop their fisheries and production to the benefit of this isolated community.

Pictures from Pangnirtung

Arriving in Pangnirtung